Shipyard completing $36-million contract A METEGHAN RIVER shipyard is finishing up a lucrative contract to deliver 18 aluminum catamarans to England, where they will service wind fields in the stormy North and Irish seas.

New Vietnam Service, with A New Vessel:The first Eastbound (inbound) vessel to call Cai Mep will be the OOCL America voyage 28E01 on January 9, 2010. The first Westbound (export) vessel to call Cai Mep was the OOCL Oakland voyage 16W50 sailing from the Port of Halifax on December 16, 2009.

Halifax businessman proposes harbour hovercraftJay Hasson, a metro businessman, recently bought two hovercrafts and he thinks they could be used as a Bedford ferry service. He’s asking Halifax Regional Council to support his idea in principle.

The 92nd Aniversary of the Halifax Explosion.The Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture announced Friday that all photographs, films and archival records on the 1917 disaster have been re-digitized for their website http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/explosion/default.asp

Ottawa issues tender call for soil cleanup on McNabs The soil remediation project was prompted by an old oil pipeline exposed when hurricane Juan tore through. The 240-metre pipeline has been oozing bunker C oil since the storm hit metro. The pipeline was part of a navy fuelling depot that supplied vessels and forts in use on the island during the Second World War

Port of Halifax signs MOU with Vietnamese port The MOU recognizes that the Port of Haiphong is a gateway or “border port” for trade between Northern Vietnam and South East Asia, and the Port of Halifax is a gateway port for Canada and North America

In September, Halifax Shipyard was awarded a contract to build nine midshore patrol boats for the Canadian Coast Guard. The first vessel will be delivered in 2011 and the rest of the boats will be in service in 2013. Earlier this year, the yard landed a $60-million contract to build an offshore supply vessel for EnCana Corp.’s Deep Panuke natural gas project. Construction of the vessel will employ up to 200 people. And in 2008, the shipyard landed a $549-million contract to extend the life of seven of the navy’s Halifax-class frigates. That program is underway and will last until 2017.